Payton Drefke and the Ankeny Centennial girls’ golf team felt right at home on Wednesday at Otter Creek–the home course for crosstown rival Ankeny.
Drefke carded a 1-under-par 35 on the front nine to earn medalist honors while leading the Jaguars to victories over Ankeny and Urbandale in a CIML Conference triangular meet. She finished eight strokes ahead of runner-up Ava Bibbs of Urbandale.
“My drives were going great, and I had some timely putts which helped as well,” said Drefke. “I also concentrated on getting my approach shots to be as consistent as possible which showed on No. 5 with a five-foot eagle putt!”
Centennial easily won the meet with a 174 total. The Jaguars improved to 2-2 in the conference.
“We played very well,” said Centennial coach John Petersen. “That is our lowest nine-hole team score. We are still working on confidence and consistency, but today was definitely a positive step!”
Urbandale shot a 197, while Ankeny finished with a 206. The Hawkettes dropped to 0-3 in the league.
“It was a good day,” said Ankeny coach Seth Hagarty. “The weather cooperated, and the girls put together some quality rounds. I was excited for several of the players today as a couple of them had PRs. The best part of this job is being there and getting to enjoy their successes with them.
“Hats off to Centennial as they all played great golf today! And a special shout out to Payton Drefke for firing a 35!” he added.
Vivian Wilson carded a 44 for the Jaguars. Kate Geiselhart shot a 46, Brooke Ridout had a 49, Olivia Joensen fired a 51, and Adelyne Peterson added a 54.
“As a team, we really bounced back from our meet at Beaver Creek (on Thursday) and had a lot of girls shoot well today!” Drefke said.
Addison Smith led Ankeny with a 46. Isabella Ross shot a 49, Gia Blaser had a 54, Gracie Block and Ava Sesker each fired a 57, and Jori Webb finished with a 60.
“The girls all had fun and improved in certain areas of their games,” Hagarty said. “We just need to keep aiming for more consistent play, and our scores will continue to drop!”
Both teams will be back at Otter Creek on Thursday as Ankeny hosts the Toni Dickey Invitational. The 12-team field will be headed by four-time defending champion Valley.
“Hopefully, the weather forecast works out,” Hagarty said. “It’s a quality field with some very talented golfers so despite the possible conditions, I still look to see some great scores!”
